ARC Review: The Cowboy Says I Do by Dylann Crush

Series:	Tying the Knot in Texas #1
Pub. Date:	Aug. 4, 2020
Publisher:	Berkley
Length:	332 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

As I just moved to Houston, I thought this would be a good choice. I don't, Texas is a tiny town somewhere between Houston and Dallas. There are quirky small town residents and family-driven politics and economics. That's how we get our main characters, the newly elected mayor (despite a lack of qualifications) and the deputy sheriff (despite questionable business activities by his family). This is a good story for those fond of sweet romance without a bit of small town drama.

Audiobook Review: Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe by Heather Webber

Pub. Date:	July 16, 2019
Publisher:	MacMillan Audio
Narrators:	Stephanie Willia Bethany Lind Nicholas Techosky
Length:	11 hrs 46 min
Source:	Publisher

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe is my first read by Heather Webber, and it certainly won't be my last. I found this to be a sweet story with touches of romance and mysticism, and I loved the small town southern setting of Wicklow, Alabama. (Can I get one of those t-shirts???)

ARC Review: Down & Dirty by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Men of Haven #6
Pub. Date:	March 11, 2019
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	368 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Welp. Here's another book for my favorites shelf. That's not really surprising given how much I have been raving about this delicious hero as we waited for his story throughout the series. It killed me to not be able to devour this book in one sitting - but work kept getting in the way and this review is way later than I expected it to be. But it was kinda nice to spend a little time with the book each night before I fell into bed... too bad I didn't have an Axel there to "run lines" with. ;)

ARC Review: Space by Penny Reid

Series:	Laws of Physics #2
Pub. Date:	March 12, 2019
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	226 pgs
Source:	Author

So Motion left us with a huge cliffhanger that I'm sure had many people screaming at their kindles. So now that it's 2.5 years later, I was dying to see what would happen when Mona and Abram meet again. And what better place for a surprise run-in than a snowed-in cabin in Aspen?

ARC Review: Diary of a Bad Boy by Meghan Quinn

Pub. Date:	March 5, 2019
Publisher:	Self-Pub
Length:	371 pgs
Source:	InkslingrPR

I am a fan of Meghan Quinn's romantic comedies, and I haven't experienced one in a while, so I thought I would give this new contemporary romance a shot. I mean... bad boys and books from their POV seem right up my alley. So while this one wasn't a rom com, it still kept me entertained and had a drool-worthy hero to get my imagination going.

Audiobook Review: Love Sincerely Yours by Sara Ney and Meghan Quinn

Pub. Date:	Oct 29, 2018
Publisher:	Novel Audio
Narrator:	Ava Erickson Alexander Cendese
Length:	7 hrs 45 min
Source:	InkslingrPR

Love Sincerely Yours is a cute office romance story by new-to-me author, Sara Ney and one of my favorites, Meghan Quinn. I liked this collaboration, the grumpy entrepreneur hero and our unassuming-yet-brazen marketing consultant. 

ARC Review: Sin and Ink by Naima Simone

Series:	Sweetest Taboo #1
Pub. Date:	Oct 15, 2018
Publisher:	Entangled
Length:	240 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I was so excited about this new series by Naima Simone that I got super grumpy when outside obligations started interrupting my reading time. Seriously, I need to start marking off a couple hours of DO NOT DISTURB reading time on my calendar every other day. Especially for a hero this supercalafragilisticexpialadopeshit.

ARC Review: All the Way by Kristen Proby

Series:	Romancing Manhattan #1
Pub. Date:	Aug. 21, 2018
Publisher:	William Morrow
Length:	288 pgs
Source:	Publisher

All the Way is the first book in Kristen Proby's new series, Romancing Manhattan. I'm still relatively new to Kristen Proby, and was happy to start this new series at the outset, as I never seem to find time to go back and read back titles.

ARC Review: Bad Reputation by Stefanie London

Series:	Bad Bachelors #2
Pub. Date:	Aug. 7, 2018
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Length:	379 pgs
Source:	Publisher

Bad Reputation is the second book in the Bad Bachelors series, which revolves around a dating review app a la the former DontDateHimGirl.com. I recommend reading these books in order so you have the backstory on the app, its creator, and the circle of female friends serving as our heroines. Note: This review may contains spoilers for the first book, Bad Bachelor, so proceed at your own risk.

ARC Review: Disorderly Conduct by Tessa Bailey

Series:	The Academy #1
Pub. Date:	Aug. 29, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	354 pgs
Source:	Publisher

I hear people rave about Tessa Bailey all the time, and her steamy dirty-talking heroes. This is my actual first time reading her, and though this story was not for me, I did like her writing style and will be reading her again in the future. I will probably even continue with this series as I think I will like the other lead characters to come.

ARC Review: The Good Luck Sister by Jill Shalvis

Series:	Wildstone #1.5
Pub. Date:	May 1, 2018
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	144 pgs
Source:	Publisher

This is a second chance romance with a great little dog, and a novella following Lost and Found Sisters in the Wildstone series. I have not read the first book, but I felt like this one did okay as a standalone novella. 

ARC Review: The First Time at Firelight Falls by Julie Anne Long

Series:	Hellcat Canyon #1
Pub. Date:	May 29, 2018
Publisher:	Avon
Length:	366 pgs
Source:	Edelweiss

This was my first time reading Julie Anne Long, and I will be reading more of her in the future. I was at first skeptical as to whether I would like this book. I didn't think I would relate to the characters - a single mom and school principal... but I loved them! I really like Long's writing style. The romance was sweet and a little steamy, and she made our heroine's kid cute and entertaining.

ARC Review: Stand & Deliver by Rhenna Morgan

Series:	Men of Haven #4
Pub. Date:	June 11, 2018
Publisher:	Carina Press
Length:	384 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

Stand & Deliver is the fourth installment of Rhenna Morgan's steamy Men of Haven series, that features a close-knit group of alpha males who have created their own family, regardless of blood ties. While this story could probably be read as a standalone, I do not recommend it. You will want all the mouthwatering details from the beginning, so start with Jace's story in Rough & Tumble to get the scoop on how this brotherhood started.

ARC Review: The One You Can't Forget by Roni Loren

Series:	The Ones Who Got Away #2
Pub. Date:	June 5, 2018
Publisher:	Sourcebooks Casablana
Length:	416 pages
Source:	NetGalley

This is only my second read from Roni Loren, and I'm jumping into a series already in progress. The One You Can't Forget is the second installment of The Ones Who Got Away. I haven't read the first book, and I felt like this one worked okay as a standalone. The series focuses on a group of heroines (and the hero of the first book), who are survivors of a mass shooting at Long Acre High School. The stories take place 10-15 years later, and our heroines are a close group of professional women living in Texas.

ARC Review: Savor You by Kristen Proby

Series:	Fusion #5
Pub. Date:	Apr. 24, 2018
Publisher:	William Morrow
Length:	288 pgs
Source:	Edelweiss

This is my first read by Kristen Proby, and I'm sure I will be reading more of her in the future. I delved into the Fusion series with Savor You, which is the fifth installment. I haven't read the earlier books and, while there is some character crossover, I didn't feel too horribly lost or overly curious about the other couples and characters. 

Review: Beautiful Lawman by Sophie Jordan

Series:	Devil's Rock #4
Pub. Date:	December 26, 2017
Publisher:	Avon
Narrator::	Jill Tanner
Length:	368 pgs
Source:	Overdrive/Library

This is my first time reading a Sophie Jordan contemporary, and I don't know what took me so long. I am very intrigued by this series and I need to get to earlier books ASAP. While I haven't read the earlier books yet, I think they work well as standalones and I didn't feel overly lost of like I was missing information as I read. There appears to be a very small amount of character crossover, but nothing substantial enough to warrant the books being read in order.

ARC Review: One and Only by Jenny Holiday

Series:	Bridesmaids Behaving Badly #1
Pub. Date:	February 27, 2018
Publisher:	Forever Romance
Length:	368 pages
Source:	Netgalley

This is my first read from Jenny Holiday, and I was excited to pick it up as I was in the mood for something light and fun. I'm not typically into the bridesmaid and wedding theme, but I an excerpt that was floating around for One and Only and the steamy selection piqued my smutty interest.

So Jane Denning is our responsible introvert of a bridesmaid - a nerdy girl author who writes fabulous young adult fantasy novels. After a failed relationship, Jane has stuck to the solo life for the last six years... something that definitely resonated with me. Sometimes its just easier to be in your own space than it is to think of inviting someone into your life and all your "stuff." But her long bout of celibacy and tendency to wrangle her girlfriends has earned Jane the reputation of being a responsible, boring, wet blanket. This was a bit harsh because there is nothing wrong with being responsible and not sleeping with half the town. We aren't supposed to slut shame... but how about we don't single shame either, okay ladies? And besides - Jane wasn't TOTALLY an adult. She lived in fantasy worlds and dressed up for Comicon! That's not boring! So I connected with Jane a little bit with her single life and nerdy girl introvert tendencies. I also didn't like Jane sometimes though, particularly when she was judgy and willing to believe the worst of people despite evidence to the contrary.

ARC Review: Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London

Series:	Bad Bachelors #1
Pub. Date:	March 6, 2018
Publisher:	Sourcebooks Casablanca
Length:	384pages
Source:	Netgalley

This is my first read from Stefanie London, and I admittedly got sucked in by this cover and the very Tom Hardy looking cover model. This book also brought out my heroine hater tendencies and found me squarely in the corner of all the bad bachelors out there. Shocker!

The premise behind the story revolves around the Bad Bachelor app - an app along the lines of the former Don't Date Him Girl (DDHG) site that was around a handful of years ago. Touted as a way to empower and educate women, the Bad Bachelor app allows anonymous users to rate and hate on men, airing grievances and saying whatever their heart desires without any consequence whatsoever. As you can imagine, that can result in countless keyboard warriors being vile and vindictive and making my lip curl with their petty behavior.

ARC Review: The First Kiss of Spring by Emily March

Series:	Eternity Springs #14
Pub. Date:	Feb. 27, 2018
Publisher:	St. Martin's Press
Length:	368 pgs
Source:	NetGalley

I'm not gonna lie - I was totally sucked in by this cover. I just love the look of the colorful house in a small town Colorado setting... the whole thing is just appealing. I have not read any of Eternity Springs books, and I have not previously read Emily March. So I was trying something new here. And I'm glad I did! I want to move to Eternity Springs now... and I definitely need Celeste working her matchmaking magic to set me up.

Side note - while I didn't feel lost without having read the earlier books in the series, there is a ton of character crossover and maybe some spoilers for previous books. There was probably also some world building having to do with the town as the series has progressed. So you may want to start at the beginning instead of jumping in at Book 14 like me.

ARC Review: Rough Ride by Kristen Ashley

Series:	Chaos #4.5
Pub. Date:	Feb. 13, 2018
Publisher:	1,001 Dark Nights
Length:	273 pgs
Source:	InkSlingrPR

Rough Ride is the latest book in Kristen Ashley’s Chaos series, and you definitely don’t want to skip this novella in the course of your reading.

If you have been following the series, you may remember Rosalie from early on, as the ex-girlfriend that Shy scraped off when he got with Tabby. Hurt and looking for her slice of happy, Rosie got involved with another motorcycle club, Bounty, through her new man, Throttle. Only Bounty is not on the right side of right like Chaos, and they have gotten embroiled in crazy ol’ Benito Valenzuela’s crime syndicate. In an effort to get her man free and clear of the mess, Rosie began informing on the club to Chaos. As you can imagine, things did not go well for Rosie when Bounty discovered her perfidy. On the mend and vowing off men, Rosie is not ready for the whirlwind of the Chaos family. I liked Rosie and what we learned of her character. This was a short novella so there was not a ton of character development, but I liked what I did see. She was loyal to her family and had good role models in her parents. It seems like Rosie’s dad was something special, and she was looking for a man to follow in the same footsteps. Like many of us, Rosie made some wrong choices, but she recognized the good when it was finally in front of her. I was glad that she didn’t try overhard to push it away, and was brave enough to accept what Chaos and our hero were offering.